Tim Lincecum expects to make Thursday start for San Francisco Giants

OAKLAND -- On a day of general inactivity as they awaited news that the final game of the Bay Bridge Series was rained out, the Giants did get a ray of sunshine Saturday -- pitcher Tim Lincecum was decidedly active.

Lincecum reported no ill effects from being hit on the inside of the left knee by a Daric Barton line drive Friday night at AT&T Park, and manager Bruce Bochy said he didn't see anything that would keep the right-hander from making his scheduled Thursday start at Arizona.

Lincecum said he didn't feel any worse than he did Friday night but that he'll leave it up to the team's trainers on how to proceed.

"I'm moving around fine, but I think the trainers want me to take it slow," he said. "I'll probably take it day by day and see how it progresses, so I'll just have to play it by ear."

Lincecum said he had hoped to try to throw from a mound Saturday, but that didn't happen. As for being able to pitch Thursday, he was optimistic.

"I don't want to miss it," he said. "Right now, I feel like I should be fine by the time that rolls around. It just felt like a bone bruise, that's about it. I've been able to walk on it."

Lincecum, who never ices his arm after starts, has been using ice on the fleshy area inside his left knee.

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"I've iced like four times already just to keep the swelling down and hopefully get me where I need to be by the time the start comes around," he said.

Pitcher Derek Law and outfielder Tyler Colvin were the final cuts as the Giants completed their 25-man roster for opening day Monday in Phoenix against Arizona.

Infielders Ehire Adrianza and Brandon Hicks made the club, as expected, as did outfielder Juan Perez and left-handed relief pitcher David Huff and right-handed relievers Juan Gutierrez and Jean Machi.

The contracts of Hicks and Gutierrez, who were nonroster spring training invitees, will be purchased, and the Giants designated outfielder Roger Kieschnick for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. The club already had one open spot when outfielder Tony Abreu was designated for assignment earlier in the week.

Bochy said the relief pitching decisions were the most difficult, particularly in the case of the 23-year-old Law.

"He was close to making this team, so he's knocking on the door," Bochy said. "It's nice to have these guys who give you insurance. We feel like we'll have some very capable arms who can help us down in Fresno. Our baseball ops did a great job bringing in some really good arms."

Colvin, who missed a significant portion of the spring with back issues, will be start the season at Triple-A Fresno to get more at-bats, Bochy said. Law will be assigned to Double-A Richmond.

The Giants placed second baseman Marco Scutaro (lower-back strain) on the disabled list retroactive to March 21, and left-hander Jeremy Affeldt (right-knee sprain) is also on the D.L., retroactive to March 23.

The rainout did not hurt the Giants' pitching plans. All of their pitchers who needed work got it Thursday and Friday, and fifth starter Ryan Vogelsong pitched in a minor league game Saturday in Arizona.

"That's why we pitched Javy (Lopez) and (Sergio) Romo (on Friday) night, because we were concerned about the weather," said Bochy. "We didn't want them to go three days off without pitching."